Baker's Place Kempt Head Road 1830 This house, referred to as the ‘Baker’s Place’, is roughly 170 years old. The Reverend Archie Fraser lived here. At one point, the house contained four girls, and young men would flock out to see them. During the construction of the Seal Island Bridge, the house underwent a chimney fire. When building the house, newspapers had been used in the place of tar paper under the roof, which helped the fire spread to the wooden roof shingles. The workers on the bridge, as well as all the farm inhabitants and neighbours, hauled water and contained the fire before the nearest fire department arrived. The house was once struck by lightning. The owner recalls that all the house lights flashed on briefly, then went out. The next morning, when he checked the fuse box, he said it looked as if ‘someone had hit the fuse box with a hammer’ and blown out all the plugs Architectural Comment The house is vernacular, with side gable and front ell additions. It would have appeared originally in a maritime box style. The additions to the house narrarate the social and economic changes to the farm- for example, the porch addition built when plumbing made a bathroom possible. In the course of renovations, the owners have discovered the house was built with burlap used as insulation. Contextual Comment This is often referred to as the "Baker's Place". Lilacs have grown beside this house for many decades. Fraser’s bull also favored the house, although with a less appreciative reception. Top Click on Thumbnail to enlarge Image Try Again Main